


In Trials

by purewanderlust



Series: Interaction 'Verse [2]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Slash, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-07
Updated: 2013-06-07
Packaged: 2017-12-14 06:52:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/833993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purewanderlust/pseuds/purewanderlust
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“We have received a transmission from Starfleet,” Spock finally answered. “They suspect that a small band of rogue Section 31 operatives are regrouping somewhere within the asteroid belt near Jupiter. We have been ordered to return to Earth to conduct an...interrogation to discover their precise location.”<br/>“Interrogation?” Leonard repeated, baffled. “Who the hell are we supposed to be interrogating?”<br/>There was a long moment of silence before Spock spoke again, and when he did, the anger in his voice was apparent, even as his expression remained neutral. “Khan Noonien Singh.” </p><p>Jim has to return to Earth to interrogate Khan...Bones is there when he gets back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Trials

**Author's Note:**

> "In Repose" was supposed to be a one-off, but it got such a great response that I thought I'd go ahead and write some more!

Leonard knew the moment he stepped onto the bridge that something was wrong. Everyone was at their stations as usual, but there was palpable tension in the air. He glanced over at Uhura, who looked worried, then at Spock whose normally smooth brow was slightly furrowed in what the doctor recognized as concern. Jim was in the chair, looking out the viewscreen, relaxed but for the white-knuckled grip he had on the arms.

“What’s going on around here?” McCoy asked, “I feel like I just walked into a funeral.” 

Jim didn’t answer, staring even more intently at the viewscreen. Chekov looked over his shoulder at the doctor, seeming even more nervous than usual and then hunched back over the console. 

“We have received a transmission from Starfleet,” Spock finally answered and Leonard felt a rush of gratitude for the Vulcan. “They suspect that a small band of rogue Section 31 operatives are regrouping somewhere within the asteroid belt near Jupiter. We have been ordered to return to Earth to conduct an...interrogation to discover their precise location.”

“Interrogation?” Leonard repeated, baffled. “Who the hell are we supposed to be interrogating?” 

There was a long moment of silence before Spock spoke again, and when he did, the anger in his voice was apparent, even as his expression remained neutral. “Khan Noonien Singh.” 

McCoy stared at him. “You’d better be pulling one over on me, Spock.”

“I assure you, Doctor, I wish I were.” The Vulcan said tightly, “We were not even made aware until this transmission that Khan had been reawakened. Apparently the suggestion was made by Starfleet historian, Lieutenant Marla McGivers upon the discovery of the Section 31 rebellion--”

“I don’t give a damn who gave the go-ahead, they can’t be serious about this can they?” Leonard exclaimed, cutting him off. “We’re an exploratory group, not the damn police! What do they expect us to do, even if he gives us any information? Run off to the asteroid belt and arrest the rebels? This is the most--”

“Bones.” Jim’s voice was quiet, but his tone stopped McCoy immediately. “We haven’t got any other option.”

“Furthermore, if Khan does indeed have information about this remaining group of rogue operatives, we may be able to effectively convince Starfleet to disband the entire organization.” Spock put in pointedly. McCoy understood what the Vulcan was saying, that Jim would be at less risk if they were successful, but it didn’t make him feel any better about it.

“Hmph.” Leonard said. “Just because we don’t have any other options doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

The ghost of a smile appeared on Jim’s face. “I wouldn’t expect it to be any other way, Bones.”

*

Sulu made sure they made good time, and before McCoy knew it, they were orbiting Earth, it’s blues and greens always familiar and soothing to the doctor. He was on the bridge, hovering next to Jim’s chair when Uhura opened a channel to Starfleet Command. 

“We have no desire to draw this out,” Kirk said, sitting up straight in his chair. “You’ll recall, Admiral, that this ship was given a five year mission and we are wasting valuable time coming back to Earth.”

The admiral nodded apologetically. “Nonetheless, Starfleet Command believes it is best to keep knowledge of Khan to a minimum, so your ship is the only one acceptable for this task.”

“Understood.” Jim said and while his voice was strong, Leonard could see his knuckles tightening around the chair’s arms again. “We will beam down a landing party to your coordinates and hopefully we can get this over with today. Kirk out.” He jabbed the button to close the channel with a little more force than necessary and rose to his feet.

“Spock, Uhura, you will accompany the landing party. Comm Hendorff and tell him to meet us in the transporter room; he’ll be beaming down as well.”

“Jim--” McCoy started, taking a step towards the captain, but Kirk was already shaking his head.

“No, Bones, I need you here.” he said, striding towards the turbolift with Uhura and Spock in tow. “That new strain of flu, remember? It’ll be fine, we’ll be back in no time.” He cast Leonard an approximation of his bright smile just before the lift doors slid shut, leaving McCoy behind. 

*

McCoy spent the better part of the next eight hours in sickbay giving vaccinations and desperately trying to distract himself. The idea of Jim down there, face-to-face with Khan made him anxious.

Things had been improving steadily once Leonard had figured out what was going on with Jim. Post-traumatic stress was expected in a situation like this, and the doctor was thankful for the classes he’d taken on the subject, despite his complaints while he was at the Academy. 

Jim didn’t want to see anyone for it, and McCoy figured he could understand the impulse. After all, outside the crew of the Enterprise, only a select few even knew the full details of what had happened last year. Leonard tried to do his best getting Jim to talk about it, and work through everything. The captain was at least sleeping more now than he’d been a month ago, even if he had to have McCoy nearby to do so. He still woke up with nightmares, and had bouts of insomnia that lasted for days, in between resting normally, but things _had_ been getting better.

Leonard wasn’t so sure that this interrogation wasn’t going to unravel the whole thing like a poorly knit sweater. 

Despite his attempts at distracting himself, the hours passed slowly. M’Benga had come in at one point, and tried to get him to leave, but the idea of sitting in his quarters and waiting, with nothing to do was even worse than this. The other doctor seemed to understand well enough, and he stayed out of McCoy’s way, doing his own work quietly and without distracting. 

At long last, the intercom whistled and Sulu’s voice came over the system. “Sulu here. You said you wanted updates when I had them...the landing party has just beamed up.” 

“Acknowledged,” McCoy managed through a dry mouth, dropping the PADD in his hands back to the desk and departing sickbay, headed for the transporter room. 

Spock and Uhura were stepping down from the transporter pads when he skidded into the room. Both looked unsurprised to see him. 

“Where’s Jim?” He demanded and Spock arched an eyebrow at him in that infuriating way of his.

“I could hypothesize, but as I do not have--”

“He’s probably gone back to his quarters,” Uhura cut in, bless her, before Leonard had a chance to ream Spock for his blatant literalism. “It might not be a bad idea to go check on him.”

“Did Khan hurt him?” McCoy asked, alarmed. She shook her head hastily. 

“He needs his friend, Leonard, not his doctor.” 

“I believe Lieutenant Uhura’s assessment is correct,” Spock chimed in, looking almost worried. “It seems the interrogation has shaken the capt--Jim, somewhat.”

“Did y’all at least get what you needed from that bastard?” Leonard asked.

“Affirmative. Starfleet is sending another ship to investigate. We have been tasked to return to our initial mission.”

“Thank god for small mercies,” McCoy muttered. “Spock, you'll have the conn, I’m putting Jim on 24 hour medical leave.” 

“Acknowledged.” Spock said with a curt nod, but the doctor didn’t stick around for anymore chit-chat, just took a direct path to the captain’s quarters. 

“Jim? Are you in there?” he called, pressing the buzzer hesitantly. Usually he would just punch in his override code, but he felt like it would be a good idea to give Kirk a heads-up. 

There was no answer, but the door slid open, and that was as good an invitation as he was going to get. 

The lights were dimmed to near-darkness and Jim was curled up on the sofa, his arms around his knees, staring blankly into space. McCoy approached him cautiously, hands in front of him, and took a seat next to his friend.

“Are you okay, Jim?”

For a long moment, he thought Jim wasn’t going to answer and they were going to sit here in the dark forever. He was so lost in his own thoughts, it startled him when Jim finally did speak.

“You know, I researched him. Khan. After everything.” His voice was flat and devoid of emotion and Leonard couldn’t make out his expression in the dark. “I mean, everybody had to take some basic history classes at the Academy, but I. I did in-depth research on the Eugenics Wars from the 1990s. Khan was a monster. Like Adolf Hitler or Kodos the Executioner. He killed thousands of people just because they weren’t good enough, in his estimation.”

Jim fell silent then, staring down at his hands in his lap. McCoy waited, but nothing else was forthcoming. Finally he gathered himself and spoke up. “So...what does that have to do with you?” 

This time, Jim did look at him, his eyes shining. “Bones, you revived me with Khan’s blood. What if that...what if I turn into that?”

“Dammit, Jim.” Leonard sighed, giving in to the urge to comfort his friend. He reached over and pulled Jim in close, hugging him for dear life. “You know just as well as I do that a person isn’t just their nature....they’re their choices, too. Even if Khan’s blood has changed your chemical structure, it won’t ever change who you are.”

“But you said--right after I woke up, you...” Jim trailed off his hands fisting in the front of Leonard’s jersey.

“I would’a never made that joke if I knew for a second you might start to believe it,” McCoy answered honestly. “You are the bravest, kindest, most selfless person I have ever had the honor to know and nothing could possibly change that.”

Leonard could feel the weight coming off Jim’s shoulders at his words and he just held him tighter, ignoring the quiet sniffling in favor of running a soothing hand up and down his friend’s back. Jim buried his face in the crook of Leonard’s neck and clung to him like a lifeline. When he finally drifted off to sleep, McCoy didn’t leave, just rearranged their limbs into a more comfortable position on the couch, pressing a chaste kiss to the top of Jim’s head. 

There was nowhere more important for him to be.


End file.
